The Ties That Bind Us
by Torn Two Ways
Summary: Bonnie finds the spell to open the coffin when Klaus leaves Mystic Falls. Inside is a brown hair, blue eyed girl, with no memory of her past and holds the key to defeating Klaus, who makes Damon question who he really loves. Set after S3/E11. Damon/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Summery**: After Stefan threatens Klaus once again, Klaus leaves Mystic Falls. Bonnie finds the spell to open the coffin. Inside is a girl, brown hair, blue eyes, with no memory of her past, or even her name. She is not human, but not a vampire or werewolf, and she is the key to killing Klaus. Feeling that she's not a threat, Elena takes her in as her 'sister' (I'll explain that a lot more later). She has a close relationship with Damon, and she starts to fall in love with him and he with her. But the stronger there feelings become, the more her memories keep resurfacing. (I'm not very good at summeries so forgive me if it's a little confusing.)

...

_Dead... they are all dead..._

The air was thick with the smell of blood as I made my way throught the mucky village. Fog started to form around me, covering what work I just accomplished. Blood stained my feet, as well as my hands.

A twisted smile slowly spread on my face. The scene in front of me was just... remarkable.

I was standing in a field of bloody snow, dozens of decapitated bodies laid all around me. Men, women, and children scattered across the field, either drained of blood or mutilated. I remembered myself tearing through the villagers, there hearts in my hand, there life force taken by me. It was exhilarating, tearing them all piece by piece. I killed and slaughtered them without pity. I made sure no one got out of here alive.

_More... I need more..._

The demon inside me wouldn't stop talking.

_More... I MUST have more..._

No matter how hard I tried to pacify it...

_More... more blood... must have more..._

It always came back.

_Alone... you will always be alone..._

He came for me though, just like I knew he would. His gently footsteps came from behind me and stopped only a few inches away. Most people would be terrified if they were in my place. They would be on their knees, begging for him not to cause harm, but not me. I would stand up to this monster without a moments hesitation.

"So, this was your doing?" Those were his first words.

I turned around to look at him and smiled. "Why?" I asked, "Are you impressed?"

He ignored my questions. "I've been looking for you for some time now. The amount of power you possess is... unusual, to say the least. The true work of a demon."

His works couldn't be more exact. "Is that a bad thing?"

"No, not at all. In fact, I find it very useful in the future. You see, you have an extraordinary gift, my dear. A power inside of you that's like no other. And since you don't quite know how to... repress your power, this" he jestered to my mangled village, "seems to happen. Although this is on a much smaller scale then what you usually do. Now, I can help you harness it and control it, that is, if you want me to help you."

"Help me? Do you honestly think I need help?"

"No, my dear, I think you need... guidance, is all. Or perhaps you need something more then just someone to help you. What I think you truely need is a comrade."

"A comrade?" I laughed.

"Comrade, compainion, guide, whatever you wish to call it. I will be there for you, my dear, as a shoulder to cry on or someone to go on you murder-sprees with. I can promise you that you will never be alone again."

_Alone... you will always be alone..._

I sat down in the snow and looked up at him. "You realize that it would all be in vain?" I asked, "I don't kill to survive. I kill because it's intoxicating. The feel of someones life in my hands, their blood on my finger tips, their pulse getting faster with every breath... I am souless, a demon who thrives on the pain of others and as a result, I am to walk a path alone. I'm just a lost cause... destined to be alone forever..."

"Be that as it my, love" he started, "I'm offering something no other being in the world will do," he held his hand out to me, "No one can possibly understand you as much as I can. I am a monster too, my dear. I love the thrill of the chase, killing without a cause. It is who we are. There's no shame in it. Be my comrade in arms, and we shall rule this land together. Simple as that."

"Nothing is ever that simple," I whispered and stared at his hand. "Alright, then, since you're making a promise to me, what do you get in return? I assume that you want something."

He snickered at her and looked her straight into her blue eyes, "All I ask in return is that you stay by my side. And in return, I will stay by yours. Nothing complicated, my dear, just a simple deal."

I snickered back at him and nodded, "Fine, let's see how this 'relationship' works out." I grabbed his hand to get up. "What name do you go by, new friend?"

"My name is Niklaus," he pulled my hand up to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on my knuckles, "but you can call me Nik."

I tilted my head to the side, "Why not 'Klaus'?" I asked.

He pondered it for a while, "No one's ever called me 'Klaus' before, but I suppose if you like, you can. Now, what name do you go by, my dear?"

I took my hand out of his and twirled around and around, smiling. "Ha ha, I go by Aislinn, Klaus, and it's a pleasure to be your friend."

"Likewise, Aislinn, likewise..."

...

_So, the most dangerous vampire alive found a girl, standing in snow and covered in blood, and decided that he could make use of her later on. He made a deal with her, promising to always be with her if she will always be with him. She agreed, but promised herself that if he ever broke that promise, if he ever forgot about her and left her alone, then she would make sure that he would never forget. _

_ The sad, lonely girl had made a deal with the devil herself. The 'ruler' of the beasts. The monstrous vampire. Klaus._

_..._

__**Author's note 2**: I know it's short and a little rushed, but I was so inspired by a dream I had last night that I had to post it! In the next chapter, it will somewhat follow where the show was left off. I'm not very good at writting, so I appologize for that. I know it might be a little confusing in the next like two or three chapters, but just bare with me, please!


	2. Chapter 2

_I screamed at the top of my lungs and kicked as hard as I could. I clawed at faces and bit at the hands and arms that were restraining me. I grasped someones arm and tore it right off while reaching for someone else. I fought hard and reckless, but in the end it was futile. I knew I couln't win... Not when it's his plan to keep me restrained and locked away. Just like what he did to the rest of his family. He always got what he wanted, even at other peoples expenses, not like I'm any different. As he always pointed out, we were both monsters, and sometimes monsters needed to be put away for a while._

_ "Would you ever do such a thing to me, Klaus?" I asked him once after we found his missing sister, Rebekah, which seemed like ages ago now. _

_ Klaus sneered and looked at me, "We have our promises, love, let's just hope that there always kept."_

_ Now I'm surrounded by darkness, in a closed off coffin, just like everyone else he didn't want to let go. There was no need to dagger me, as Klaus pointed out to one of his witches, it wouldn't work anyway._

_ I pushed on the top, trying to open the hood of casket, but it was no use. No matter how hard I pushed, it wouldn't even budge. I was stuck, until someone could break the spell that hold me in here. I let out a frustrated cry and gave up. Nothing I could do now, but wait. At least sleep will soon come over me soon, that much I was sure of..._

_ Alone... you will always be alone..._

_..._

"Damon, good, you're here," Bonnie exclaimed as he came through the basement doors. "I thought that you should know about this before Stefan."

"Well, baby brother is a little..." he tried to find the right word, "'preoccupied' at the moment. You know, ridding Mystic Falls of Klaus and his crazed hybrids." He made his way over to one of the coffins and leaned against one. "So, what's up, Judgy? What did you find at," he checked his watch, "one in the morning? Anything useful?"

Bonnie looked at Damon and scowled. Then she walked over to the coffin that was sealed and placed her hand on it. "I looked through all my Grimoires for a way to break the spell. They all had something unique about them for breaking a seal, but one thing. They have a symbol, made of ink and blood, so it binds whoever is put in here forever and traps them in a deep sleep. They only way to break this spell is to, you know, break the seal. Then when the coffin is opened, the person inside will wake up and be released."

"So, why haven't you done that?"

"That's the problem," Bonnie moved away so Damon could move past her, "there's no symbol."

"You've got to be kidding me..." Damon made his way over to the casket and searched. He smoothed his hands over the wood to feel anything. He looked under the casket and behind it. Nothing. Not one little scratch on it. "Great, just great! Our only way to kill Klaus could be in this coffin, and we have no way to open it!" He sighed as he walked towards the door.

Bonnie moved in front of him, blocking his path for the exit and put her hands up. "You can't see it because Klaus didn't want anyone to see it. He made sure that when the witch made the symbol to bind it shut, that it would stay hidden to anyone trying to find it. He wanted this person to never wake up."

Damon gave her a questionable look. "So, it's invisible?"

"More or less," she answered.

"Do you know a spell to, I don't know, reverse it?"

She shrugged, "Yeah, it's simple enough. It will only take like a minute."

"Well," he waved his hand at her, "get to it then."

She walked over to the coffin and stood in front of it. Right away she started chanting the spell.

...

After lifting the spell, finding the symbol, and Damon destroying it, he motioned for Bonnie to move.

"You should probably stay back," Damon put both hands on the hood, and lifted with ease. He looked in the coffin and froze. After a while, he smiled and looked over at Bonnie. "Congratulations," he called out, "it's a girl!"

She walked up beside him and peered into the casket. Inside was a brown haired, pale, thin girl. Her hair was woven around her face perfectly. Her hands were folded over her stomach, a ring circling her right ring finger. The gown she wore was elegant. A long, white gown with a beaded v-neck and pleated overlay that hugged onto her body. Blood was splattered down one side of her dress, and also on her right hand.

"She must have put up one hell of a fight before Klaus dragged her in," Damon smirked and looked over at Bonnie. "Do you want to wake Sleeping Beauty up or should I?"

"Stop being an ass, Damon. I'm sure it takes a while for the spell to wear off-"

The girls eyes opened abrumptly. Dark blue eyes remained staring at the ceiling. She didn't move at all, she didn't even take a breath. A couple minutes went by, nothing changed, and Damon was becoming restless. "Hello?" He called out, "Is anyone home?" He snapped his fingers in front in front of her, trying to muster a response.

"She's probably in shock," Bonnie tried to explain to the impatient vampire, "Just give her some time."

"Oh please, she's had enough time. She needs to just get up and-"

The girl grabbed his arm before he could finish and pulled herself up. Damon ripped his arm out of her grasp and took a few steps away. She just stayed sitting there, looking around the basement. She almost looked playful and chaste, like nothing mattered at all in the world, as her eyes drifted from place to place.

"Hey, there," Bonnie called cautiously, hoping not to alarm the girl, "we were hoping that you could help us."

No response.

"Okay, well, my name's Bonnie, what's yours?"

Still no response.

Bonnie turned to Damon. "Do you think that she needs blood?" she asked.

He continued to examine the girl. She had to be a vampire, he thought, considering that it looks like she's been in the coffin for decades... or centuries, but there was something off about her still. "She might," he answered, "but I doubt it. She's not an Original, I think. She would have come after you by now if she wanted blood. And besides, there would have been a dagger." Damon walked over to the girl and and met her at eye level.

"What's your name?" he demanded.

The girl turned and tilted her head to look at him.

"What is your name?" he repeated, more forcefully.

Same response as before: nothing.

"Dammit! Can you say anything?"

Her eyes started tearing up and her lip quivered. She turned her head away from him and stared at her hands, sobbing.

Bonnie moved between them and pushed Damon away. With him acting like this, she knew they wouldn't get far. "Leave her alone, Damon, it's not her fault-"

"What the hell do you mean it's not her fault? She won't even tell us her name!"

"Just calm down and let me talk to her again." Bonnie placed a hand on the girls back and began to rub her back. "Actually, can you help me get her out of the coffin? It would probably make her feel a lot better." She turned her attention back to the crying girl and asked her softly, "Do you want to get out?" The girl gazed up at Bonnie, her face stained with tears, as she was trying to understand what she was saying. "Out, you know..." she used hand gestures to try to explain to her what she was saying. A few seconds later, the girl pointed to a spot on the ground next to Damon and nodded.

A smile spread across Bonnie's face. "Okay, we'll get you out." She looked over at Damon, "Can you help me lift her up?" she asked.

With a sigh, Damon trotted over to the girl and explained to her that he was going to pick her up. He positioned his hands under her arms as she held onto his shoulders. With ease, he brought her up and out of the coffin. "Well, that was easy," he stated. As he turned to walk away, the girl swayed and fell to the ground. "Are you kidding me? She can't even stand on her own?"

"There's something wrong with her, Damon."

"Yeah, no kidding."

"Shut up, that's not what I meant! I mean that there's something off about how she is."

He sighed and bent down to pick the girl up. She smiled and put her arms around his neck and squeezed. "Wonderful," he breathed through her choke hold.

"I think she might have lost her memory."

"Gee, what made you think that?"

"Stop being an ass, Damon, we need to figure this out. If she is the key to getting rid of Klaus, then we can't just put her back in the coffin."

"What are you implying exactly?" He asked when the girl let him go.

Bonnie put her hands on her forehead and started pacing around the room. This was going to be tricky, she thought. "I think..." she started, "I think that we're going to need to talk to Elena about this."

Damon shook his head. "We weren't going to get her involved, remember?"

"I know, but I don't see how we have a choice. This girl probably lost her memory and we're going to have to tell Elena about it. It's not like we can just get rid of her."

"Well... why not?"

"Because we don't know anything about her. We don't know if she'll just randomly slaughter everyone in Mystic Falls or help us. We don't know if she's blood crazed or not. We don't even know her name, Damon. She's gonna have to stay with us," she paused and walked to the door, "Call Elena in the morning. Tell her to meet us at the boarding house, and make sure she brings Alaric."

"And what are we gonna do about her?" he gestured to the girl in his arms.

Bonnie rolled her eyes, "Well, she can't stay at my house, obviously, so she's gonna have to stay at yours."

"Wait, what-" before he could finish, she ran up the stairs and left the abandoned house. "Great, just great..."

...

After they got to the house and settled in, Damon placed the girl on the bed in one of the guest rooms. He handed her one of his shirts and a pair of sweatpants. "Here's something for you to wear tonight. It might not fit, but it's better than the dress your in. So... I'm just gonna leave so you can change..." Before he could turn away, she grabbed his hand and shook her head. "No?" he asked, "No, what?" She pointed to the clothes he brought her. "You don't like the clothes? I already told you that's all there is, so if you don't like them, too bad." She kept shaking her head. "What are you trying..." He watched her grab the shirt and attempted to put it on her legs. "You've got to be- are you telling me you don't know how to dress yourself?" She stopped to look up at him. Damon sighed and motioned for her to turn around.

He moved to her backside and pushed her brown hair to her shoulders. Why does one dress need so many buttons, he thought as he undid the top one. "So... yeah... someone should probably give you a name. I don't think that in the future, you would appriciate being called 'girl'."

She didn't reply. Big surprise, he thought.

"How about Erin?"

Nothing.

"Okay... I didn't really like that name either... Sydney?... No... Megan? Jasmine? Alex? Anything at all?"

Nothing.

"Well, there's a bunch of ordinary girl names like Ash-" She turned to look at him, "-ley?" She frowned and looked back at the wall. "What? Do you like the name... Ash?" he asked, "It's kind of... short, but hey, if you like it, then it's yours."

When he finally got the buttons undone, he folded the top of her gown to her waist, and gradded the shirt he brought for her. "You're gonna have to keep your arms up so I can put your shirt on, okay? Like this," he showed her what he wanted her to do. Ash turned her head around to look up at him and copied his movements. "Good, now turn around so your looking at the wall... No... No! Not at me! The wall! And keep your arms up... No, both of your arms!"

Ten minutes later, she was dressed in his clothes and sprawled across the pillows. Damon took her bloodied dress in his arms and sat on the side of the bed next to her. "I'll burn up this old dress for you. No sense in keeping it with blood covering one half." Ash looked up at him and smiled. She reached up, grabbed his arm, pulled him next to her, and closed her eyes.

He smiled and ran his hand through her hair. "You really need a bath or something," he laughed, "Unfortunatley, I don't think it's a good it would be a very good idea for me to give you one. At least, not in your... delicate form. Later, maybe." He moved his arm away from her to stand up. "I think now's a good time to hit the sack. We've got a very long day to look forward to." As he walked over to the door, he looked back at her, said, "Good night, Ash, I'll see you in the morning," and shut the door.

The pale girl stared at the door for a moment. Eventually, she laid back on the bed and closed her eyes.

"G...g... g- g'night... D... Da...mon..."

...

**Authors note (Very important to read!)**: Sorry if it's rushed, again. Life's been a little hecktic lately. But yay! I got this chapter up! That's very exciting :) There's just a few thing that I need to clear up about this chapter and the next.

Normally, as we all know, Damon wouldn't feel weird about dressing a naked women. That's just who he is ;) But in this case, with Ash not remembering anything, it would be a little akward for him. It would kind of be like dressing a child for the first time, so I wanted him to feel somewhat uncomfortable.

This chapter was in no ones POV. However, the rest of the story will be in Ash's POV from now on. I'm kind of flip-flopping and I'm sorry if it's confusing.

And for the next chapter... It will be set three months after Bonnie and Damon open her coffin. Ash has her own personality by then, she goes to school with Elena, and she's aware of vampires. She has no idea what her history is. As far as she knows, her parents died in a car accident (ironic, eh?) and she lost her memory (that's the story that the gang came up with). Going back through her 'family history', it showed that Elena is her only living relative, as her fraternal twin (since I don't think Isobel or John would have had another baby... that we know of...). I want Ash and Elena to have a close bond, and even though it's far-fetched, I think that I can make it somewhat work. Hopefully :)

Well, that all that I can think of for now. If I miss anything, I'll let you know next chapter :) Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

"Ash!" my big sister yelled, "Come on, or we'll be late for school… again!"

I rolled over in my bed, took my pillow, and covered my ears. Great, I thought, another glorious morning... "It's okay," I yelled back, "you can go on without me. I don't mind."

"Ha, very funny, now come on and get dressed." I didn't move.

"I need to shower..."

"Then we'll be late!"

I moved the pillow to look at her. "Why don't we take the day off?" I asked, already knowing she wouldn't go for it, "You know, just have a girls day. We'll talk about boys, do each other's' hair, and all that girly stuff you told me you did with Bonnie and Caroline back in the day."

"You mean before all my days became all about vampires, witches, and hybrids?"

I laughed, "Yeah, something like that. We can even invite Damon, if you want?"

My sister gave me an odd look. "Wouldn't him being there kind of cancel out the whole 'girls day' point?" she asked.

"Well... maybe... I bet he's good at braiding hair..."

"Ash..."

"He could! And besides, maybe you guys can figure out what's going on between you two."

She looked away from me, making sure not to meet my eyes. Ah, still an uncomfortable subject. "You can't keep using me as your excuse to avoid him, you know. I am at the point where I can take care of myself... for the most part."

After a few seconds, she sighed and looked up at me. "We talked a few days ago, actually... it was when I went with you to the boarding house, so Damon could make you that... herbal drink he always makes you..."

"Oh, yeah, I remember. I passed out, like, ten minutes after I drank it."

She sighed again, "I thought that that was a good time to talk. We just decided now wasn't a good time to... try and sort things out..."

I gave her an odd look. "Do you like him?"

She shrugged, "I like him, but I don't know if I like him like that, Ash. It's just still really complicated... And besides, there's more to a relationship then just liking each other. It takes time and commitment, and there's too much going on that needs to be taken care of. I'm too busy to think what's between us or having a possible relationship with him..."

I bit my lip, got up, and walked over to my dresser. I pulled out my green tank-top and dark blue skinny jeans. I made sure not to look at her. "You've been too busy taking care of your 'sick' sister, you mean..." I muttered under my breath.

She walked up behind me and grabbed my shoulder to turn me around. "You're not 'sick', Ash" she said sternly, "and you're not a burden or anything like that. You are... my sister, my family, and I will always look after my family."

I looked up at her and smiled, "I guess you have been looking after me this whole time... Thank you, for that, by the way."

Elena smiled back and walked to the corner of my room to grab my backpack. "And to answer your previous question," she throws the bag to me, "no, we can't ditch. We have a test in Alaric's class, and he would be beyond pissed if we missed it."

I knew it.

"You would have thought he would cut us some slack, considering he's our guardian and all."

"It's because he's our guardian that he won't cut us any slack."

I laughed, "Well, we should have a girl's day out soon."

She nodded, "We will, I promise. We just need more time."

"And lucky for us, time is all we have..."

...

My name is Ash Gilbert. I am eighteen years old, and I have long, straight brown hair and dark blue eyes. I live with my older twin sister, Elena, and our vampire-slaying guardian, Alaric. My sisters' best friend is a witch, who hates me. Her other best friend a vampire, who calls me the-sister-she-never-had. And her ex-boyfriend and his brother are vampires, one of which has never met me while the other one seems... fascinated, by me. And for some odd reason, I eased right on into it, like I was already aware of their existence...

I don't remember much of my past. Elena and Damon were the ones who told me that my parents were dead, killed in a car accident, while I miraculously survived. I didn't cry when they told me, didn't even tear up. No use in crying over people you don't remember...I couldn't even remember their faces... Unfortunately, after the crash, I was diagnosed with the worse possible case of amnesia.

That's how I ended up in Mystic Falls though. My sister told me that after the accident, how the hospital staff was looking for my next of kin. They kept digging and digging and eventually found out that the people who died in the accident weren't my parents. I was adopted when I was an infant. Not finding any other family members to get a hold of, they dug deeper and found the address of my only living relative, my biological sister. They contacted her and explained the situation. She came to get me right away.

She told me that when she first saw me, I looked completely wrecked and couldn't understand a word she was saying. The doctors informed her that they didn't know how long it would take for me to recover my memory... if I would ever recover it at all...

Elena understood how it was for me. She lost her 'parents', ironically, in a car crash and knew how it was to feel alone… feeling like you didn't have any family left to look after you… I think that's why she was so welcoming when I arrived in Mystic Falls.

She, Damon, and Alaric all took turns looking after me, teaching me the basics of everyday living. How to cook, how to write, what to say when I wanted or needed something...

Elena and Damon were the ones who explained to me that there was a hybrid out there that killed her aunt and made Damon's brother, Stefan, a ripper. He had killed my sister to break a curse and now he is using her blood to create an army of hybrids. They also told that he was the most dangerous vampire out there, but for some reason, I laughed at that part… not really remembering why I found it so amusing.

Now, it's three months later and I still have no idea as to who I was before.

There are times when I get frustrated at myself for not remembering. Everything was so simple, so basic, and I couldn't remember a damn thing about how to do them. Damon was always there, though, when I felt like this. "You shouldn't be upset at yourself," he would always say to try to comfort me, "Your mind is just recovering from something traumatic that you experienced. It will just take time to heal."

Wonderful, I wonder how long that will take me...

...

School went by relatively quick. I went to all my classes, which had either Caroline or Elena in them. I found it helpful with them there. I wasn't alone, for the most part, and always had someone to talk to. I only had one class with Bonnie, which isn't so bad. She hated me for some unknown reason and glared at me constantly. She didn't come to the house often, because I was there. When she wanted to see Elena, she wanted her to come to her house or meet her at The Grill. Elena seemed fine with it, at the time, but I can tell it hurts her.

After school, she ran up to me, full sprint, and grabbed my arm. "So, you ready?" she asked between breathes.

"For... what?"

"To go to The Grill. Caroline wants us all to hang out."

"And by 'us all', you mean..."

"You, me, Bonnie, and Damon."

"Bonnie's gonna be their?"

"Yeah!"

"No thanks, I'm good." I turned to walk away, but she tightened her grip.

"Please, Ash, it'll be fun! We'll play pool and have dinner and have a good time! You won't even have to be around her that much..."

I glared at her, "Does it mean that much to you?"

Elena pouted, "Yeah, it kind of does..."

I rolled my eyes. "Fine," I sighed, "I'll go!"

"Awesome! This will be so much fun!" she exclaimed.

Oh, I bet, I thought as I made my way to her car.

...

When we arrived at The Grill, it was filled with people. Elena made her way over to Caroline and Bonnie. "You coming?" she asked.

"Nah, I'm gonna look for Damon and mingle with him for a while."

My sister frowned at me and shook her head. "I'll be fine. I haven't seen him in a while, so I'm going to see how he is," I said before she could argue with me, "Now, go have fun with the girls. I'll meet you over there in a little bit."

"Okay..." she said uneasily, "You better come find me when you're done."

I rolled my eyes, "Yes, Elena, I will, now go!" She smiled and left.

I scanned The Grill until I found Damon sitting at a bar. He wore his usual attire: dark jeans, black t-shirt, and a leather jacket. I smiled as I made my way through the crowd. "Do you ever hang out at any other part of this place then the bar?" I asked as I sat next to him.

He turned and smirked at me. "Nice to see you, too, Ash, how are you?"

I laughed and took his shot. "I'm fantastic! And you?"

Damon raised his eyebrow and looked at his shot glass, "You do know that was mine?"

"Yeah, oh, and don't tell Elena. She'll freak out," I whispered.

"Wouldn't dream of it..." he trailed off and looked at his phone, "So, what do I owe this pleasure?"

I shrugged, "Caroline invited me here for a 'get-together', but I don't feel very... welcomed over there."

"You mean with Bonnie?"

As I nodded, I looked over in her direction. "I'm definitely not on her top list of favorite people."

Damon snickered nd put his phone bask in his pocket, "You and me both, Ash."

"And why aren't you over their hanging out with the girls? Caroline invited you, too."

The bartender came and brought him three shot glasses and poured liquor in each of them. He picked one up and stared at it before he spoke. "I'm just enjoying my drink, talking to a pretty girl," he winked and I could feel myself blush, "and thinking about... things."

I leaned closer to him. "What kind of things?"

"Things you don't need to concern yourself with."

"Damon..."

He turned to look me in the eyes and gave me a sideways smile, "Really, it's nothing."

"Why won't you tell me?" I challenged.

"Why do you want to know?" he retorted.

I chuckled and tilted my head, "What, you worried it'll effect your manhood or something?"

"Oh, believe me," he started, "I'm never worried about my... manhood. It's quite large, if you ever want to find out."

I raised my eyebrows, "Wow-"

"Yep," he interrupted, popping the 'p', "that's what they all say..."

"I wasn't saying 'wow' because of that-"

"There's no need to feel embarrassed, you know?" he continued, much to my dismay, "A lot of woman would love to experience my-"

"Okay," I threw my hands on the table, "I'm stopping you right there! This is so not how I thought this conversation would turn out."

Damon smirked, "I was having fun..." And he downed his drink.

I shook my head, "Yeah, I bet..." I leered at his face and noticed that he had a sad look in his eyes. He seemed troubled and anxious and forlorn.

I gave him a concerned look and grabbed his hand. Right away, he gazed down at his hand, and just stared at it, but didn't move. "If something's bugging you, you know you can tell me, right?"

He continued staring at our hands. Then he cleared his throat and look up at me. "I know that, Ash... It's nothing though. Just worrying over something that's completely... unimportant."

Confused, I asked him if he was worried about Klaus. "No," he answered, "I'm pretty sure my little brother drove him out of town for a good while." Then I asked him if he was worried about Stefan. He didn't move or say anything for a while and eventually gave me a small nod. "Yeah, pretty much." And he took another shot.

I started rubbing the top of his hand to comfort him. "Have you talked to anyone about this?"

"Nope, you would be the first." Then with his free hand, he took his third shot. Huh, I thought, he can really handle his alcohol...

"Not even Elena?"

He shook his head and laughed lightly. "It would be more... difficult, talking to her about it. Considering he's not on her top list of favorite people, you know?" Not really, I thought, considering that I wasn't here when everything happened.

I nodded anyway, hoping to make him feel better. "You don't have to worry about him," I said, "Siblings do dumb and reckless crap all the time. Take you, for example," he raised an eyebrow at me, "You've gotten bitten by a werewolf, who nearly killed you, just to make sure Caroline didn't have to suffer the bite. You've faced swarms of vampires and hybrids, not even caring if you would get killed, just to make sure that the people you care for are safe. You've faced Klaus, knowing fully well that you had no chance at all, just to tell him to leave Mystic Falls. You've also-"

"Okay," Damon interrupted, "I get it; I'm suicidal. So, what's your point?"

I glared at him and continued, "My point, you ass, is that you've done some pretty risky shit. But you always made it back home, one way or another. And your brother will do the same. He just needs time to come back."

Damon sighed and swirled his next shot around the glass, "I guess... you make a good point." And then he smiled, "So... thanks... for, you know... trying to make me feel better."

I grinned and squeezed his hand. "I just want you to be happy, Damon. Even in this shit-storm of chaos that you've been through, you still deserve to be happy."

He gave me a small, sad smile. Then he brought my hand to his lips and kissed my knuckles. I was blushing like crazy, at that point. "Well, you better get over to Caroline before she freaks out," he said.

"She did invite you," I reminded him.

He shrugged, "Yeah… well, it's just not my cup of tea."

I pouted, "Oh, come on, you can't leave me alone over there! And besides, it'll drive Bonnie crazy if we both show up."

He chuckled and nodded, "Well, when you put it that way…"

I grinned and stood up, pulling Damon with me, "Mr. Salvatore, will you accompany me over to my sister and her friends?"

He offered his arm to me, and I took it without hesitation. "It would be my pleasure, Miss Gilbert, to escort you over to your annoying friends."

I playfully slapped his arm as we made our way across The Grill.

…

_Fire danced from house to house as smoke filled the night sky. Butchered bodies were scattered throughout the town and blood painted the walls of their homes. The cries of the people surrounded me, pleading me to stop my madness and leave their poor homes. I would always give them a sweet smile as I ripped their heads off._

_It was a beautiful town, I thought as I watched the flames destroy it. By the time I had finished off the towns people, the blaze had rapidly engulfed the houses. Who would have known that one little torch could cause so much damage to so many homes... _

_ Becoming bored, I decided to leave this place and travel to a more... public area and relax there for a while__.__ Besides, I needed to meet a certain Original anyway. _

_As I made my way further into the town, I came across the silhouette of a tall, slender person standing in place, staring at me. Curious, I moved closer to it, and I noticed that it wasn't fazed by my appearance. It didn't even move an inch._

_The closer I got, I could see it was a young man. He wore bulky clothes, all torn and battered from its duties as a worker, I assumed. He had long, wavy dark brown hair and a scar running down his left cheek. And his eyes... his bright emerald eyes showed no emotion, but sadness and pity... towards me._

_ Before I could ask him why he wouldn't run away, he looked me in my eyes and muttered the last thing I thought any human would ever ask of me._

_ "Just kill me..."_

_ I stood their shocked, but made sure not to portray any emotion at all. After a while, I tilted my head. "Why?" I asked, curious. _

_ The man gave me a sad smile and shook his head. "Because," he replied, "I cannot kill you."_

_ Seeing simple enough, I placed my hand on his cheek and ran my thumb over his scar. He closed his eyes at my touch and a tear slid down and touched my hand. Strange, I thought, he looks almost... at peace with this... I smiled at this thought and laughed__._

_His eyes remained closed as I tore his heart out of his chest._

…

**Author's note:**I'm so sorry that I didn't post this sooner! My internet just randomly decided to turn off for a really long time! I'm so sorry!

Anyway, here is the third chapter ;) I hope you like it! Please review, it'll inspire me to write more… wink, wink…


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